For the building where generations of Houstonians bought their first suit or a last-minute gift at lunchtime, the end will come at 7:20 a.m. on Sept. 22, according to a plan detailed Thursday by local transit officials.

Weeks of preparation are beginning in advance of the implosion of the former Macy's and Foley's department store at 1110 Main. A coordinated demolition using explosives is scheduled for ten minutes after sunrise, five weeks from Sunday, according to Andy Skabowski, the Metropolitan Transit Authority's operations manager.

Because the Main Street rail line runs right by the property, and the demolition requires about $80,000 worth of engineering work and electrical line adjustments, Metro officials discussed the project Thursday morning, detailing planned rail closures and bus detours.

Mike Dokell, division manager for Houston-based Cherry Companies, which is overseeing the demolition, said he was asked not to discuss the project publicly. Representatives of the property owner could not be reached.

Any public costs, even in the event of a mishap, will be covered by the demolition company, Skabowski said.

"Implosions have pretty high insurance," he joked. "It's what they do."

The goal is to bring the 10-story, 791,000-square-foot building down upon itself without scattering debris or damaging nearby buildings. In many cases, explosives are used to cripple the interior supports of the building.

Other methods are available. In its 2009 demolition of the seven-story Savoy Hotel on Main Street, Cherry brought the building down in pieces with excavators. That avoided explosions and kept debris from nearby buildings, including the expanded Savoy, 25 feet from the original building.

Macy's closed March 9, ending more than 65 years for the Main Street site as a go-to department store destination. When the closing was announced in January, Mayor Annise Parker said the owners planned to demolish the building and build an office tower.

Nine-block blast area

In the days before the implosion, crews will remove electrical lines and in some cases the poles holding them up along the southbound side of the Metro rail tracks. Rail service will be suspended about 9 p.m. Friday to give workers time to remove the electrical system, affix the wires to the northbound set of tracks, and cart off any of the poles removed for storage.

For the weekend of the implosion, buses will be routed around the area cordoned off. Based on the map provided by Cherry to Metro, Fannin and Milam will be closed between McKinney and Polk, creating a blast perimeter of nine blocks around the Macy's site.

More Information

Figures tell story

Facts and figures about the planned demolition of the downtown Macy's building:

Sept. 22

Date that the building is scheduled to be imploded

7:20 a.m.

Time of day that the building is scheduled to be imploded

$80,000

Cost of the engineering and electrical work required for the demolition

10

Number of stories in the building

65

Number of years the store operated downtown

12-14

Number of hours that Metro's light rail line is expected to be shut down due to the demolition

$26,000

Amount that it would cost daily to provide bus service to replace the rail line if it is damaged

City public works spokesman Alvin Wright said Cherry would be responsible for most of the details, though public works would approve and permit planned street closings and detours. Other factors will be worked out in the coming weeks, Wright said.

Rail contingency plans

Within the cordoned-off area are a hotel, numerous offices, a handful of small stores and eateries, two parking garages and the Houston Police Department's main headquarters.

If all goes - or comes down - as planned, Main Street and most of the area will be back to normal by noon Sunday, though work on the site will take much longer, Skabowski said. Opening Travis Street will follow getting Main back into shape, he said. Train service could be restored in a matter of 12 to 14 hours, potentially in time for commuters the morning of Sept. 23, Skabowski said.

"The minute we can run rail, we do it," he told Metro board members. "Even if it's in the middle of the day."

If something goes awry, transit officials are preparing to suspend light rail service for about three weeks, and businesses could also face difficulties.

The cost of providing bus service to replace the rail line for a workday is about $26,000, Skabowski said. Metro will be reimbursed should extensive repairs to the rail system be needed, he said.